International Summer School

The International Entrepreneurship course will help you understand the dynamics of entrepreneurship in an international context. You will learn how to discover, evaluate, and exploit of international venture opportunities. You will develop essential skills using various tools and frameworks during the entrepreneurial process with particular attention to applying brainstorming and simulation tools for sparking innovative ideas with the potential to address global market needs. In addition, you will learn how to set up an international business plan for the launch of a global start-up or a new international venture at an existing business.

The course will consist of lectures by academics, workshops/seminars, teamwork, pitching and presentations, individual work, and other collaborative learning activities to maximise learning outcomes.

Please note that the first week is organised as a blended intensive programme (BIP) with Erasmus+ support. Students from participating sending institutions have priority.​ 

Number of students: Max. 50 
Tuition: Free of charge for students from partner universities. Tuition for others: 750€. 

Guest lecturers will be confirmed later

Course coordinator
Martin Meyer 
Vice-Rector for International Affairs 
University Services 

During this course, you will learn to understand the process of entrepreneurship from identification of problems, ideation and brainstorming to evaluation. After completing the course, you can apply different approaches for brainstorming and ideation, create early business models and know how to evaluate and pitch ideas. The course will include workshops, team work and individual work.  
 

Number of students: Max. 30 
Tuition: Free of charge for students from partner universities. Tuition for others: 450€. 

Guest lecturers will be confirmed later
 

Course coordinator 
Mona Enell-Nilsson 
Research Director 
School of Marketing and Communication, Marketing

By the end of the Start-up Scouting and Valuation course, you will have a more in-depth understanding of startups and their importance for disrupting businesses. You will be able to scout start-ups and analyse meaningful metrics that indicate successful performance and sustainable development of start-ups. You will learn how to identify and evaluate different start-ups and create rankings that can be used to predict company futures. The course supports the development of skills in the areas of analytical and critical thinking, collaboration in diverse teams and business research and analysis. 

The course activities include lectures, investor and start-up company guest-speakers, workshops, individual and group assignments such as scouting and pre-evaluation of start-up companies. 

Number of students: Max. 30 
Tuition: Free of charge for students from partner universities. Tuition for others: 300€. 

Guest lecturers will be confirmed later

Course coordinator
Khuram Shahzad 
Assistant Professor (tenure track) 
School of Technology and Innovations, Industrial Management 

There are many possible ways to travel to Vaasa depending on your departure location and travelling preferences. Usually the easiest way to reach Vaasa from aboard is to fly to the Helsinki airport and from there, continue with a flight to the Vaasa Airport or by train to the Vaasa train station. There are three daily flights from Helsinki to Vaasa and several daily train connections. Please visit the Finnish rail company VR’s website for more information about train connections. 

Remember to make sure you have all your travel documents up-to-date. If you are not a citizen of a Schengen member state, you will need a visa for your stay. The accepted students will receive the invitation letter needed in the visa application from the University. Please make sure that you have all the documents for the visa application well in advance, such as your passport, travel insurance, hotel reservations, flight tickets etc. More information about the visa requirements in Finland. 

You will receive more information about the prices and possible discounts with the confirmation letter. It is recommended to book your travels and accommodation as soon as you receive the confirmation.

Please note that the University of Vaasa doesn’t provide you with housing during the Summer School. If you come from a partner university abroad, please contact your local institution about the possibility to receive financial support to organise your stay at Vaasa.